Just a few miles from Dale Hollow Lake, Deep Valley Campground sits on land with a long, winding past. In the early 1900s, this quiet valley was home to Holman’s Old Water Grist Mill, which served local farms along Hunter Cove Road. Over the years, the mill changed hands, fell into disrepair, and was later rebuilt by a determined local family who brought it back to life in the 1930s.

As the decades rolled on, the land continued to evolve. It passed through hands near and far — from small-town Tennesseans to a Chicago businessman who bought the property sight unseen. In the 1960s and beyond, it became home to a trout hatchery, drawing water from the same cold stream that once powered the mill. By the early 2000s, the land saw yet another transformation — this time into a peaceful campground for travelers, locals, and families seeking a slower pace.

But that’s not all. Long before picnic tables and campfires filled this valley, children gathered here each day at the Unity Community School, a little schoolhouse that once stood where the swimming pool is today. Without refrigerators, kids kept their milk cold in the nearby stream — a clever trick made possible by its year-round temperature of 50 degrees.

Today, Deep Valley Campground is more than just a place to pitch a tent. It's a patch of Tennessee with roots that run deep — shaped by grit, nature, and generations of stories. Whether you’re here for a weekend or a while, you’re part of a place that’s been welcoming folks for over a century.